Research isn't always easy. Here we are transplanting switchgrass seedlings into reclaimed strip mine land in central Pennsylvania. This research involved nearly 150 switchgrass germplasms we were screening for production potential in these less than ideal soils.

Perennial warm season grasses for use as bioenergy crops is still a future possibility, yet current opportunities exist to use perennial warm season grasses for erosion control, grazing, or forages. The CenUSA bioenergy project funded by USDA NIFA has completed extensive analysis on Switchgrass and other perennials to help foster their utility in the corn belt as bioenergy crops on marginal land. The enonomic and agronomic analysis has led to the creation of an online tool farmers can use to quantify the costs and benefits of growing switchgrass or other perennial warm season grasses.

Video of Plant Breeding to Improve Yield and Sustainability of Perennial Grasses

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Monday, February 29, 2016

In this video Dr. Michael Casler, CenUSA Project Co-Director and Research Geneticist with USDA Agricultural Research Service, discusses characteristics of different switchgrasses, the perennial grass breeding process, and how plant breeding has been used to improve them for use as a biofuel feedstock as part of the CenUSA Bioenergy project.

Video Type:

Instructional Video

Author / Producer:

Michael Casler; Amy Kohmetscher

Acknowledgments:

Produced by Amy Kohmetscher, The Ohio State University Agricultural Technical Institute; Pamela Porter, University of Wisconsin Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems; and Don Fleischman, University of Wisconsin Division of Information Technology.

CenUSA Bioenergy is supported by Agriculture and Food Research Initiative Competitive Grant no. 2011-68005-30411 from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

Because it is a native species requiring minimal management and has a high potential to sequester carbon, switchgrass has been identified as a potential biofuel species. As for any cultivated crop, diseases, insects, and weeds can be major constraints in switchgrass production. To date, not much research has been done on switchgrass diseases. Therefore, little is known about their etiology, epidemiology and impact on yield. This webinar will give an overview of switchgrass diseases. Among the diseases that will be discussed are Panicum mosaic caused by a virus and rust and leaf spots caused by fungi.

Video of Competition for Land Use: Why would the rational producer grow switchgrass for biofuel?

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Friday, May 30, 2014

Dr. Keri Jacobs, Co-PD of CenUSA bioenergy Marketing and Economics objective presents this webinar. This presentation considers the current economics of switchgrass production in the Central United States and the fundamental challenges and opportunities that exist. Insight from producers surveys on the market conditions for perennial grasses and implications for market development will be discussed. Program options for dovetailing perennial grass production with existing conservation programs will also be presented.

This video discusses plant pathogen risks that could impact switchgrass production for bioenergy in the Central USA. Plant pathologists such as Dr. Gary Yuen are studying various pathogens capable of infecting switchgrass, new switchgrass varieties, and their response to pathogen infection. This research will help plant pathologists like Dr. Yuen make recommendations for preventing and managing disease in switchgrass grown for bioenergy.

Videography, and editing done by Kelsey Lee.

CenUSA Bioenergy is supported by Agriculture and Food Research Initiative Competitive Grant no. 2011-68005-30411 from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

Tennessee State University Assistant Professor Dr. Jason de Koff and Extension Associate Mr. Chris Robbins talk about harvesting switchgrass for bioenergy. The video shows the equipment used and tips for having a successful switchgrass harvest.